how old?

[the local angler]

hey all i have a curious question regarding the age of certian rainbows in stocked ponds/lakes. i recently caught one of my biggest rainbows ever and this is the first one that had a really pronounced hooked lower jaw.i have fished and caught stocked fish anywhere from last years stock to the 2 previous years stock but i have never seen a hooked jaw on the males before so its got me thinking if stocked rainbows can't spawn do they still develop the body changes that actual spawners would go though?could this fish be more than a few years of age?

[goldscud]

The fish WANT to spawn...they grow eggs and sperm if they are diploids. It's just that they need running water with some appropriate sized gravel to lay their eggs in to accomplish successful spawning. So the fish are still sexually mature in the pond, it's just not the right environment for successful spawning.
Females usually mature at age 3yr, males may mature earlier.